FILO Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 030: Remembering Andrew Stone Jul 29, 2019

Show notes

The day after Andrew Stone’s passing, Todd sat down with Justin Firesheets for a future podcast episode, and they ended up talking about memories of their times with Andrew. Justin had the idea of talking to more of Andrew’s friends to collect more stories. This podcast is a combination of conversations between Todd and several people who knew Andrew well. It’s a long podcast, but the stories are good.
FILO Conference Memories with Andrew Stone

Episode 029: Jeff Sandstrom Jul 07, 2019

Show notes

Todd and Jeff talk about MxU and FILO, along with topics such as balancing family and work, how to stay true to who we are as Christ Followers and what it means to thrive as a technical artist in the local church.

the big as* Jul 05, 2019

Show notes

No. Not that big as*. The big ask. Every one of us who leads teams of volunteers knows about the big ask because, for most of us, it is something we stay away from. We have all these people who are giving up their valuable time to serve in the church and we know their lives are busy. Instead of asking them to commit all kinds of time to serve, we just don’t. I do this way more often than I’d like to admit. However, I’m in a season of ministry where if I don’t make the big ask, stuff isn’t going to get done. The funny thing to me is that I’ve had people tell me that they want to help. So what’s keeping me from the ask? I think it boils down to a couple of key traps that I fall into: Saying people’s “no” for them People are busy. And if I were honest, some of my best volunteers are killing it in the rest of their lives, because they don’t do anything mediocre. That’s why I like them on my team. Since I also know what it is like to be busy and to be gone from my family one more time, I’m hesitant to ask people to give up something else in order to help me. In reality, I’m cheating these high-capacity people from being able to serve by not asking them. One thing about these types of volunteers is that they haven’t become high capacity by saying yes to bad things and no to good things. These are smart people. So ask them and let them decide. What if I’m not offering them something significant enough? If I were honest, this is the thing that keeps me from asking people to serve in the first place. There’s a lot about production that is unsexy and frankly boring. Do I really want to ask the sharpest people I know to be a part of something that feels that way? I personally have no problem with the mundane and the boring parts of production since I know that they are foundational to a great production. These are the parts that nobody sees and that the average person doesn’t care about. This makes it hard to cast vision to volunteers for making time to be a part of it. Do I really want the lawyer-by-day to sit around while we are waiting for the band to figure something out? Or to have the neurosurgeon wrapping cables? Aren’t there better ways to use people’s time? I feel pretty strongly about how vital these mundane tasks are. So if I feel strongly, why don’t I feel better about asking people to participate? I think it is because I haven’t really sat down long enough to make a compelling case for why people should serve in this area; I haven’t convinced myself that it is worth our time to create the best service possible. I’d be the first to admit that production isn’t for everyone, especially if they aren’t into the unsexy parts of what we do. But if we aren’t creating compelling reasons for people to serve, it is no wonder that we aren’t asking them. People want to be a part of a winning team. Nobody wants to serve on a mediocre stage team or a video team that is just OK. Volunteers, most especially the killer kind, want to be on a kick as* team. Create an environment that is oozing with significance and then make the big as* (…the other one.)

Episode 028: Blaine Hogan Jun 17, 2019

Show notes

Freelance filmmaker Blaine Hogan sits down with Todd to talk about making ideas a reality. From their almost 10 years of working together at Willow Creek, they talk through budget and time constraints, collaboration and mutual empathy.

Episode 027: Mike Foster May 27, 2019

Show notes

Todd sits down with Mike Foster to dive deeper into the topics of relationships and handling failure.

Episode 026: Brad Zimmerman May 05, 2019

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Brad Zimmerman, Creative Director at Watermark Church in Western Michigan, sits down with Todd to talk about doing production ministry, boundaries and innovation.

Episode 025: Ryan Howell Apr 15, 2019

Show notes

This episode features FILO 2019 main session speaker Ryan Howell, the Director of Production at Watermark Church in Dallas. Todd and Ryan hit all kinds of topics including team values, Easter and Top Golf.
Watermark's Production Values:
Create
Collaborate
Cultivate
Circulate
One Team Mentality
Be a Host, Not a Guest
Monday Conversations (feedback)
Solution Oriented
Flexibility Over Frustration

Episode 024: FILO Goes to Minsk Mar 24, 2019

Show notes

The FILO crew went to Minsk, Belarus to interview Ola Melzig, the head of production for the Eurovision Song Contest for one of the main sessions for FILO 2019. We talk about our great experience with the Eurovision crew, Belarusian food, and riding in the Minskerbus!
JON AND DAVE ON THE PLANE
MINSK AIRPORT
ON THE MINSKERBUS
MINSK ARENA WALKIN
LOADING DOCK
RIGGING
OLA WITH LIGHTS
FANCY DINNER
GASTON'S PUB
BEAR CLAW
HARTMUT
JON LOUNGING
LENIN
CHICKEN OF THE PEOPLE
THE MALL
ELEVATOR RIDE
UGLY BUILDING
BEEF AND BEER
BORSCHT
BEEF AND BEER
PODCAST RECORDING
FILO BAG
LEFTOVER RUBLES

Episode 023: Reid Wall Mar 04, 2019

Show notes

Todd chats with Reid Wall, one of the production managers for Hillsong Church in Australia. Their discussion ranges from how Hillsong production builds teams to building the foundation of your ministry on mission and values.

Episode 022: Debbie Keough Feb 10, 2019

Show notes

In this episode of the FILO Podcast, Todd talks with Debbie Keough. She is a freelance technical artist, specializing in audio. Debbie shares her insights on how to recruit with inclusivity, how to serve with a heart to train, and the challenges and benefits of Virtual Soundcheck.

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